Bittersweet Reminiscence
by SuiGaa
Summary: Reincarnation was something that I had never believed in. It was just a stupid theory created by people who were afraid to die. Or at least it was, until I woke up one day in the most cliché of ways-with the famous Toad Sage as my father and the memories of an anime show in my mind. Only I didn't want this life, and so I did the only thing I could think of. I forgot it. All of it.
1. Prologue

In the beginning I was terrified. Everything was so bright and jumbled, shapes and faces twisting together, conglomerating into one giant swirl of motion. I couldn't tell up from down or right from left and it was all spinning, whirling, twisting, shaping, squeezing-and then it all stopped. And it was silent, but just for a moment.

Then, the sound of wailing filled the air. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, it sounded distant and distorted yet so very, very close all at once. Something warm pressed against my forehead, but it was more like a small, fluttering feeling than an actual touch. Something warm and strong snaked around me and held me, firm, sure, and confident. The feeling was my polar opposite; I felt weak and tiny, like the entire world was pressing into me, making me unable to move my body a single inch and getting crushed under the weight.

Slowly, everything calmed down and I was able to process things better. My eyesight was still foggy but since everything wasn't moving so fast I was able to decipher what was what a little better. There was something white and spikey looming above me, streaks of bright red marring its image. It was murmuring something to me and leaning down to press against my forehead every once in awhile. I couldn't understand what it was saying-something that stasrted with an L maybe?-and whatever the hell was happening to my forehead was a mystery to me. Maybe I should have thought that it was weird, having something unknown so close to me and doing something unknown to my face, but for some reason, I just couldn't. Something about that large white blob made me feel safe, and that alone scared away all of the negative feelings I had toward it.

It was all a bit confusing. For one, I wasn't sure where I was. Just awhile ago, I was swimming in the ocean, splashing around with my friends when a huge wave came and-and...I remember going under, thrashing, desperately struggling for air, engulfing water and then...nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but whatever the hell this was. The warmth, the giant looming ball of spiky white, the-

Said ball of spiky white was moving around in front of me, but this time I could see it more clearly. I could tell that it was a human now and that it was male. He was wiggling his fingers around in front of me to try and get my attention, but I wasn't so focused on him because of that. No, I was more worried about the fact that he was so familar.

He towered above me, long, spiky white hair spilling over his shoulders. Two red lines ran down his cheeks, starting at his eyes and ending somewhere near his chin. His nose had a wart on it and a metal plaque with a symbol carved into it was wrapped around his forehead. I didn't even have to think about who this man was or why he looked so familar; I _knew. _

Images flickered into my mind in a swirl of motion. Images of him and a little blonde boy, standing before giant toads, holding balls of swirling blue energy, eating popsicles together, laughing, and arguing. Images of him with a blonde lady and a sickly pale male, scowling and smirking and everything in between. Images of him with three children, all with odd, unnatural hair colors. Images of him before six people with orange hair, various piercings embedded in their body. And then them piercing him with poles, and then there was blood and he fell and-

I shut my mind off automatically, forcing the images away. I didn't want to think about those kinds of things happening to this man. He seemed happy right now, trying to get my attention and beaming down at me without a care in the world. It hurt to think about him any other way. I couldn't, I wouldn't. I didn't want to see him like that.

I shoved the thoughts of those events away, permanately sealing them away in a box that I would hopefully never have to open ever again. I don't think I could ever bear to see those memories. I forced myself to not remember them, not remember who this man was, not remember who I was.

And then I was just me. Just a baby.

And he was just a man. Just my father.

And everything was fine. For now.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, except for my OC, Akemi. **

**Hope you guys enjoy Chapter 1. Thanks for reading. **

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TWO MONTHS LATER

It was love at first sight. The first time I saw him I knew that we were going to get married, have millions of babies, live a long and happy life, then die happily in each others arms of old age. He was everything I had imagined my future husband would be: smart, funny, strong, reliable, kind, optimistic, and _drop-dead sexy. _Even if I was only two months old, I knew that much. I wasn't sure how I was able to process everything at such a young age, but what can I say? I'm just that intelligent...and sexy.

There was only one thing wrong with him: he had a girlfriend. A loud, almost always angry, rude girlfriend. She was a nuisance and she needed to go.

I wiggled around on the table, vying for the aforementioned oh-so-sexy guy's attention. Daddy had left me with him while he went off for "research".(I wasn't exactly sure why, but I could already understand what most people were saying. I tried to talk back to them sometimes, but I couldn't. It was probably because my vocal chords weren't fully progressed yet, so I wasn't able to speak yet.) At first when I realized Daddy would be gone for so long, I was frantic. I didn't want him to go. Who would protect me? Who would keep me safe? But then I met my sexy soul mate and I instantly changed my mind. Daddy could stay away forever for all I cared. As long as I was able to stay with this amazingly sexy god I was okay.

I wiggled so much that I migrated a whole foot to the left. Papers crinkled under me.

"Akemi," a voice huffed from above me. "What am I going to do with you?"

I looked up to see two sparkling blue eyes. I wiggled happily under the attention, giggled, and reached my arms up into the air in front of me.

"You're lucky you're insanely cute, because otherwise I would be extremely mad at you for wrinkling all my paperwork," Mr. blue eyes said before hoisting me into his arms. I giggled again and threaded my chubby little fingers into his shockingly blonde hair. (My kids were going to have that beautiful yellow hair one day.) And just for a little fun-and because I thought that if he liked his girlfriend even though she was a total female dog then he must just like crazy chicks who were constantly mean-I tugged on his hair harshly. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. No, baby, how about we don't do that?"

He pried my little fingers away from his hair, but I was content. He called me baby, _Baby! _If that didn't mean he was into me, I don't know what would. And then our moment was ruined.

"MINATO!" a loud voice bellowed just before the door was slammed open. In the doorway stood a very angry, very blood-thirsty, and _very pregnant _red-haired woman, nine red tendrils of hair waving menacingly in the air.

"W-what?" Minato stammered. I could feel him shaking against me. The girl, Kushina, stalked forward and Minato clutched me closer to his chest. "Y-you ca-can't hit me wh-while I'm h-holding a b-baby."

"WHAT IS THIS?" she yelled, thrusting a collection of papers in front of her.

"P-paper?" Minato stuttered.

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PAPER! I'M TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S WRITTEN ON IT!" She said, throwing the papers at Minato. They hit him in his face.

He looked down and stilled for a moment.

"Oh..." he said as if everything Kushina had just said was falling into place. "That's the manuscript to Jiraiya's next book..."

I perked up at the sound of Daddy's name and cuddled closer to Minato. I looked up at the blonde's face and frowned. He wasn't happy. Kushina was making him sad. I didn't like to see Minato sad.

"YEAH IT IS! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT-THAT PORN!" Kushina raged. "ARE YOU CRAZY-"

"Minto?" I mumbled lightly.

Everything stopped and all heads snapped toward me. I blinked in wonder back at them. Why were they looking at me like that?

"Did you just say your first word?" Minato asked in a whisper. He looked at me, then at Kushina, then back and forth rapidly.

"OH MY GOD!" Kushina and Minato both screamed at the same time. They both crowded around me, watching intently. "Say it again. Say it again."

I looked back and forth at them before hesitantly saying, "Minto?"

"Awww..." Kushina said lightly. She looked at Minato, all her former anger now lost. "She said 'Minto'. She's trying to say you're name!"

She threaded their fingers together and rested their joined hands on her growing stomach.

"You're going to be a great father," she told him. She leaned forward toward him, their lips getting closer and closer. I made a noise of protest, squirming around and flailing, trying to get them to not scar me for life by kissing in front of me. Thankfully, Minato understood what I was trying to say and swooped me into his arms.

"Don't worry, little one. We won't do anything too life-scarring," he said, kissing me on the cheek. I saw my opening and went for it. I grabbed either side of his face and pulled it closer to mine. Then, I pressed my mouth to his.

"Oh my God!" Kushina gasped beside us just as I pulled back from Minato. He was stock-still, just staring forward like he'd seen a ghost. Kushina burst out laughing beside us. "Aw! That's so cute! She has a little crush on you!"

Kushina scooped me into her arms, disregarding my attempts to try and wiggle my way back toward Minato.

"I know. He's cute, isn't he?" she cooed at me, cradling me in her arms. "But he's all mine. Guess what though? We're about to have a baby boy, and he's going to be just as handsome as Minato is. You two can have millions of cute, chubby babies together."

"Kushina," Minato grumbled. "Stop auctioning off our unborn child."

"I'll stop auctioning off our kid if you stop reading porn," she said, pinning him with a critical look. Minato paled instantly.

TEN DAYS LATER

*THIRD-PERSON P.O.V. ((MINATO))*

It was nighttime when Minato first felt it. He'd learnt how to go into Sage Mode years earlier, so he was well aware of what Nature Chakra felt like. However, even in all his years as a trained Nature Chakra-user, he'd never felt anything like _this. _

Nature Chakra was thick in the air, much thicker than it usually was. That wasn't the thing that was bothering him so much; there were a lot of reasons that so much Nature Chakra would be gathered in one place. After all, Konoha was home to a broad range of ninjas. A few of them were bound to meddle with Nature Chakra. The thing that did concern him was where exactly it was concentrated, which just so happened to be the room next door to him. It was Naruto's future nursery, and more specifically the place where Akemi, Jiraiya's daughter, was currently staying. There was no reason for there to be an abundance of Nature Chakra there.

Minato slid into the nursery in a panic and his eyes immediately scanned the room. Akemi was resting quietly in her crib, but she was starting to twist around. Minato could see why too; Nature Chakra was closing in around her slowly, like the world was crushing in around her. The only other time Minato had seen something like that happen was when Kushina was trying to make a new jutsu. The substance that the new jutsu resulted in was so foreign to the world that it started to implode around it, trying to get the unusual object out. When that had happened, the Nature Chakra had crushed everything around the jutsu. It had started out slow, but the second it was set into motion, it almost instantaneously destroyed everything in the surrounding area. And now, the same thing was happening around Akemi. Just as Minato stepped through the door, he felt the Nature Chakra snap and start racing toward Akemi faster than it had before.

Minato's eyes widened and he darted toward the squirming infant. He reached her a second before the Nature Chakra did, his own chakra wrapped protectively over his hands. He transferred the chakra to her and coated her small squirming body in a layer of steady blue energy. The Nature Chakra hovered just outside of the chakra barrier.

Minato let out a breath of relief. Akemi was okay. Now though, there was a different problem. If Minato stopped transmitting his chakra around her body, the Nature Chakra would crush her. He was certain that if he was able to take his hands off her for a minute then he would be able to make a seal to keep the Nature Chakra from touching her, but he couldn't take his hands off her. Kushina was still sleeping soundly in the next room, but he wasn't about to wake her up just to ask her to wrap chakra around Akemi. As confident in her abilities as he was, Minato wasn't about to jeopardize her and Naruto's lives. That meant he had to go somewhere else. Really, it should have been easy to find a ninja able to do something as simple as wrap their chakra around an infant, but it wasn't exactly that easy. Since Nature Chakra was so volatile, it was hard to contain it and even harder to keep it away from something. To keep Akemi safe, one would have to know something about Nature Chakra to some extent and be extremely advanced in chakra control. With Jiraiya gone, Minato only knew one other person who fit those requirements at the moment.

He rushed out of the house as quietly as possible, making sure not to wake Kushina and sprinted down the street. Akemi was started to stir in his arms and her soft cries were echoing in the empty streets, but Minato knew that every second counted. If he so much as lost his concentration for one moment, then she would be gone forever. He couldn't stop. Less than a minute later, he arrived at his destination. With his hands currently occupied, he couldn't knock so he kicked at the door with his foot. A few moments later a head appeared from the crack in the door.

"Yondaime?" Sarutobi Asuma questioned groggily. It was obvious that he had just woken up and Minato knew that he had just gotten back from a dangerous mission. He was almost sorry for waking him up. Almost. Akemi's life was a little more important than Asuma's sleep. "What are you doing here?"

"Is your father home?" Minato asked. "It's important."

Asuma ran a hand down his face, but nodded and opened the door a bit further so Minato could slid inside the house. He pointed down the hall toward Hiruzen's room before slinking back into his own sleepily. Minato padded down the hallway and knocked his foot against Hiruzen's door as politely as possible. Waking up his predecessor in the middle of the night wasn't exactly Minato's idea of fun, but he had bigger problems at the moment.

"Minato, what are-" Hiruzen begun after he opened up his door, but soon stopped. His eyebrows furrowed instantly. "What is that?"

"For some reason, Nature Chakra is trying to crush her. I need you to hold her while I make a seal," Minato explained quickly.

Hiruzen nodded and held his hands out in preparation for Akemi, blue chakra already buzzing around his hands. Slowly, Minato eased her into Hiruzen's hands and let his chakra wrap around his own. Little by little, he let the other man's chakra replace his own and eventually successfully transferred the infant into the other mans hands. Immediately he set to work, pulling out a sheet of paper and beginning to write on it. He already knew a seal for keeping Nature Chakra from deteriorating things, and he just needed to tweak it a little bit to help protect a human from it. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do until Jiraiya got back and they figured out what was going on. Soon enough, he smoothed the piece of paper over Akemi's chakra coated stomach and watched it sink through the layer of chakra and melt into her skin. The paper part of it deteriorated and left black markings written on her stomach, positioned around her belly button.

"Okay," Minato said to Hiruzen. "You can remove your chakra now, but slowly just incase something goes wrong."

Hiruzen did so and thankfully the seal worked. They both sighed in relief.

"So, what exactly was that?" Hiruzen asked as everything melted into a more mellow, yet serious atmosphere.

"I'm not sure," Minato breathed. "I was sleeping when I felt a disturbance with the Nature Chakra. I was almost too late to save her."

"I've never seen anything like that."

"Me neither, but I'm not exactly an expert at this kind of stuff. Jiraiya would know better than anyone. We'll probably have to wait until he gets back to find out."

"We should probably keep a very watchful eye on her until then," Hiruzen said. "Sadly, there probably aren't a lot of people who would be able to do anything if something were to go wrong. The two of us can't always be with her."

Minato nodded in response.

"I think Kakashi is pretty close to being able to do something. If not, I could show him what to do if something goes wrong."

"Asuma probably could too," Hiruzen agreed. "Until Jiraiya gets back, the few of us can take shifts watching her. If anything goes wrong, it could prove to be a big problem for the entire village."

"Hopefully this goes away though," Minato said. "I would hate to see her have to live her entire life with Nature Chakra trying to kill her."

Minato didn't know just how much that statement sealed her fate.

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**Thank you for reading. Please review/favorite/follow.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who has either reviewed, followed or favorited this story. It means the world to me and each one of them has made me smile. Usually, I would only update on the weekend, but since I am just so happy with the response to this story(however little it may seem) I decided to update early. So, four days early, here is the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, except for my OC, Akemi.**

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*THIRD PERSON P.O.V. ((JIRAIYA))*

Jiraiya should have seen it coming. In a way he had; he knew that the Nature Chakra had been acting oddly lately, but he'd just brushed it off as something that didn't matter. He hadn't been back to the village in a while and he'd just figured that the disturbance was caused by the abundance of ninja. Now though, he was really wishing that he'd paid more attention.

"We're not really sure what caused it," Minato said after explaining what had happened a few weeks before. "Everything seemed normal that night, but then suddenly...well, _this _happened."

Jiraiya examined the seal on Akemi's belly quietly, which was a bit harder than it should have been. She wouldn't stop squirming and chanting, "Dada Jiya!" Apparently, Asuma had spent his time with Akemi teaching her how to speak. He'd already taught her how to properly say 'Minato'(Even though she immediately discarded it to keep on calling him Minto.) along with 'chakra', 'jutsu' and ''Asuma is sexy'(though she tended to say 'Suma instead of Asuma), along with a few other words, and she was now on her way to saying 'Daddy Jiraiya'. Nobody was exactly sure why Asuma had felt like those were good words to teach a now three-month old baby how to say, but that wasn't really the biggest thing that people were focused on. The sheer fact that a _three-month old baby _was able to speak well enough to string three words together("Asuma is sexy!") was truly amazing. That wasn't exactly what was on Jiraiya's mind at the moment. Sure, he was proud that his baby had obviously inherited his wonderful "intelligence", but he was more worried about her safety. The seal that Minato had put on her was working for the moment, but it wasn't stable. Nature Chakra was a tricky thing. It was always active and moving and containing it was nearly impossible. That was why it took so long to do Sage Mode and even longer to be able to master it. It was also why you needed to stay perfectly still so long to activate Sage Mode. You had to counter its volatile nature with something just as calm as it is crazy. Opposites attract after all.

"I've never seen anything like this," Jiraiya said after a while.

Minato sighed and rubbed a hand down his face.

"I was afraid you'd say that," the blonde said. Hiruzen observed quietly from his place beside Minato and Asuma and Kakashi were too busy entertaining Akemi to really care. She was starting to have that effect on people. "Do you at least know why this might be happening?"

"Hmm..." Jiraiya hummed in consideration. "The only thing I can think of is if one of her chakras isn't connected to the other."

"What do you mean?" Hiruzen asked. Out of the three of them, he may have been the most experienced as a ninja, but he certainly knew the least about Nature Chakra. He was intrigued to say the least.

"Chakras made of physical and spiritual energy, and is a balance of the physical and mental energies. If one of those is disconnected from the other than it could cause the Nature Chakra around it to do something like this, or at least, I'm pretty sure it could. I've seen it do something like this with inanimate objects or jutsus, but never a human. At this point, that's my best guess," Jiraiya said.

The three of them sat back in their seats for a while, contemplating the information quietly. After awhile, Hiruzen spoke.

"If the physical and mental energies are actually disconnected, then couldn't we figure it out pretty easily? A medical ninja should be able to see if the physical aspect of it is out-of-order and if her mental chakra is odd then a Yamanaka should be able to investigate the issue further, right?"

"That sounds reasonable...right?" Minato asked hopefully. He'd spent nearly a month looking after Akemi and at this point she was almost as much of a child to him as Naruto was going to be. This had happened under his watch too. Even if it wasn't technically his fault, he still felt like it was partly. He should have paid more attention to what was happening. If he had then maybe he could have been more ready for what had happened.

Jiraiya nodded slowly and said, "Yeah. I guess so, but there is one thing." Minato and Hiruzen both looked at him intently. "I don't want everyone to be knowing about what's happening with her. I don't want anyone using it against her if it proves to be permanent."

Both Minato and Hiruzen knew that was reasonable. It was already bad enough that she was Jiraiya's daughter. That alone would give her enough enemies after her as it is. Adding a serious medical condition to the list would only make it worse. It would be easy for an enemy to use it against her and that was the last thing that anybody wanted.

"I don't personally know any of the medical ninjas in the village seeing as Tsunade left. I'm not too sure about the Yamanaka's but...they seem like a pretty calm clan so I'm willing to let one of them see if they can find out what's happening with her."

"You could have Inoichi check her out," Kakashi supplied lazily from the corner. "He's not very talkative."

Asuma nodded in agreement and said, "He'd be your best option. Nice guy. Kind heart." He bounced Akemi on his knee and wiggled his fingers at her merrily, not even really paying attention to what was going on around him. Jiraiya wasn't exactly sure if that meant that his opinion was reliable or not, but at this point this Inoichi guy sounded like, as Asuma so accurately put it, their best option.

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Yamanaka Inoichi was better than Jiraiya thought he'd be. As promised by Kakashi, he didn't seem very talkative, but rather calm and sincere. Having a newborn girl himself he knew exactly what it felt like to be a concerned father with a young, potentially endangered daughter. He was paranoid in that sense really; according to his wife, he followed his daughter Ino around like a mother hen, constantly making sure people were holding her correctly and feeding her properly. Jiraiya could relate to that. He constantly had to smack Asuma upside the head because he was being, well, Asuma. So when Inoichi promised that he wouldn't tell a soul about what they found, Jiraiya believed him. And that was saying a lot, because Jiraiya barely even trusted himself half the time.

They went into one of the farthest, most secluded corners of the Yamanaka compound to do the 'procedure'. It was decorated with enough anti-sensory and concealment seals that even Jiraiya was impressed. He should have anticipated that they'd have something like this though. They were a very old and well established clan after all. Jiraiya promptly made sure to slam that well-sealed door in both Asuma and Kakashi's faces. Kakashi didn't seem fazed in the least bit. He just stalked off to read his porn. Asuma wasn't able to brush it off as easily, so he just went off to go find little baby Ino in the meantime-for some reason, Akemi had made him really obsessed with babies.

It only took about ten minutes for Inoichi to come to a conclusion; he might have been young, but he was extremely good at Mind Walking.

"Well...?" Minato asked, breaking the tense silence.

"It's just as you said," Inoichi said running a hand through his hair. "Her mental energy isn't normal."

"So it's not connected to her physical energy? How could something like that happen?"

The Yamanaka shook his head.

"It's like her mind and brain aren't connected," he said. By the dazed look on all their faces, he knew that none of them understood what he had just said. He sighed in exasperation. Sometimes he just wished that other people knew as much about the brain as he did so he wouldn't have to explain everything a million times. "The brain is the physical part of the mental energy while the mind is the spiritual aspect. So, that being said, it's almost like the spiritual and physical portions of her mental chakra aren't connected. I'm guessing that's what's causing whatever is happening with the Nature Chakra. Her mind is what instructs her brain what amounts of chakra to feed to certain parts of her body. Since their disconnected, it can't relay the information to her body as well as other people, so its grasping for some type of chakra to control. In turn, that makes it easier for her to control Nature Chakra than her own."

"So that means it would be easier for her to go into Sage Mode?" Minato asked. "Couldn't that be positive then?"

"It takes both normal and Nature Chakra to go into Sage Mode. If she can't access her normal chakra then she won't be able to do it," Jiraiya said.

"He said that it would be harder to use her normal chakra, not impossible," Hiruzen pointed out. "Besides, isn't there some way to reconnect her mind to her brain?"

They turned to Inoichi again as he considered it. He shrugged after a while.

"Maybe," he said. "But I don't think many, if anyone, has had to deal with this before, so I wouldn't even know where to start with that. And going in blind on something like that could prove fatal. I don't think chancing it is worth it." Inoichi sent Jiraiya a very pointed look before adding, "_I_ wouldn't chance it with Ino." which was basically the Yamanaka's way of saying, 'Even think about letting that happen and I will call Child Protective Service's.'

Akemi begun to scoot around on the table, gurgling softly as she squirmed around in circles. She started to make her way over to the collection of adults, save for Inoichi who was on the far side of the table. She splayed her arms out expectantly, waiting for someone to pick her up. Minato moved to scoop her up, but she flailed around and protested.

"No, Minto, No!" she complained, cheeks puffed out cutely.

"Okay," Minato said, holding up his hands defensively. "I won't pick you up."

Akemi used his current place to quickly bounce up, plant a firm kiss on Minato's lips, and then return back to her earlier position as if nothing had happened. Before anyone could even react, she was fluttering her eyelashes innocently and holding her arms out again.

"Dada Jiya," she cooed lightly, bouncing in an attempt to get into said man's arms. Jiraiya laughed good-naturedly and swooped her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

Hiruzen and Inoichi both laughed at Minato's stunned expression.

"That is the sixth time today she has done that!" Minato exclaimed, wiping his hand against his mouth. "Kushina's starting to get jealous, you know."

He sent a heated look in Akemi's direction, but his gaze instantly softened when he saw that she was nodding off in his sensei's arms. Her eyes were fluttering dramatically in a futile attempt to keep awake and she had two small fistfuls of Jiraiya's shirt balled in her tiny hands, tugging on the fabric lightly as she swayed with fatigue.

"Damn her for being so cute..." Minato grumbled under his breath, careful not to wake the baby. Out of nowhere, Jiraiya's hand swatted him upside the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Don't use that kind of language around my baby," Jiraiya said.

They relaxed into a comfortable silence as they watched Akemi sleep soundly, not knowing that she had a life-threatening condition. Not knowing that there wouldn't be a solution to her problem. Not knowing that she would lead a hard life. Not knowing that the carefully fabricated aura of peace that she was living was all about to crumble before her eyes.

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**Thank you for reading and please review/follow/favorite. It means the world to me and each one brings a smile to my face. If I get enough, I might just update early again. **

*****Also, I'm thinking about getting a BETA for this story, so if anyone is willing to do it, please message me*****

**-SuiGaa**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey there guys. I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed this story. It means a lot to me.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy Chapter 3.**

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*FIRST PERSON P.O.V.((AKEMI))*

I felt a looming cloud of doom settle over the village a week after I was first taken to Yamanaka-san. Something in my stomach wiggled every time I was around Minato and Kushina and I couldn't help but think there was something I was missing. I knew that something odd was happening but I just couldn't place what.

One day, when Kushina was showing me around the village-which she really shouldn't have done when she was nine months pregnant-I almost remembered what I was supposed to be so worried about. I had struggled to figure it out all day when Kushina gave me a hint; a random shopkeeper pissed her off to the point where her hair formed nine separate fiery red tendrils and started waving around in the air. The same thing happened often when she was mad at Minato, but that time had made an imprint on me more than any of the others.

An image popped into my mind: a giant orange shape looming over a village, nine blurry forms waving in the air above it.

My tiny hands curled into Kushina's shirt tightly as I shook. Even with the picture being blurry and unclear, I felt a menacing aura radiate from it, bleeding into my form and reducing me to a pile of blubbering baby fat. The feeling was suffocating and overpowering to the point where I could barely even think straight. Kushina glanced down at me in question, worry clouding her features.

"You okay, Baby?" she mumbled lightly, tugging my t-shirt farther over my chubby belly. I squirmed around in her arms, turning over and pressing at her rounded stomach frantically. "Hey, hey, calm down, what's the matter?"

"Urmm," I whined, trying to communicate my thoughts with her. I didn't know what to say though. Asuma hadn't taught me any words that had anything to do with a giant monster. How was I supposed to let anyone know that something bad was going to happen if I didn't know how to communicate with them? "Kushi! Kushi!"

"What, sweetheart? Does your stomach hurt? Are you hungry? Tired?" she asked, worrying over me. She lifted at the waistband of my diaper and I started wiggling around. I had my dignity after all, so I would not let her start pulling my clothes off in public. "Well, what is it?"

_If I knew how to tell you I would! _a voice inside of my head growled.

"Baby, why are you giving me that look-"

"Kushina!" a feminine voice called over the commotion of the crowd. I twisted in Kushina's arms to see who had called her. A woman was making her way over toward us. She had long ebony hair and onyx eyes. She was probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my entire life, and obviously someone else had noticed because she had a small baby cradled in her arms.

"Mikoto!" Kushina greeted back happily before looking at the infant in Mikoto's arms. "Oh my gosh, is this him?"

"Yep," Mikoto said happily, staring down at the baby happily. "This is Sasuke."

Kushina cooed at the little baby, but he simply turned over in his sleep and made soft noises as he buried his head in Mikoto's shirt. I scowled at the tiny boy and squirmed around, trying to get the attention back on me.

"He's so cute," Kushina said, sighing. "I can't wait for Naruto. I want a baby so bad."

"Well, it looks like you have one already," Mikoto said, smiling down at me. She tickled my foot lightly and I giggled. "Who is this cute little girl?"

"This is Akemi," Kushina introduced. "She's Jiraiya's, but Minato and I are watching her while he's gone. He left again for 'research'."

Mikoto and Kushina both rolled their eyes at the mention of Daddy's 'research'. I frowned at them. What made them think they were allowed to make fun of Daddy? He was perfect.

The two of them continued to talk and gossip about Kami-knows-what, but I tuned out for all that. From what I could understand, it wasn't very appealing to an almost-four-month-old. That is, it wasn't until I heard my name.

"When Naruto is born, Akemi and him can all come over for a playdate," Mikoto offered cheerfully. I snorted in protest and as if in agreement Sasuke shifted in Mikoto's arms again and whined lightly. His eyes cracked open before shuttering shut again at the bright light. A small cry tumbled from his lips. Mikoto bounced him in her arms easily, getting him to quiet down almost immediately. She seemed experienced when it came to babies.

"Would you like that, Akemi?" Kushina asked me in a baby voice. I hated when she used that voice. "You can make friends!"

I didn't want friends. I wanted Minato and Daddy and Asuma and Kakashi. Not Sasuke. Not Kushina. Naruto, maybe, but not any strangers or people who treated me like a baby. I might have been one, but I didn't like to be treated like one. Sure, Asuma often treated me like one, but he was sexy, so that didn't count. Kushina wasn't sexy. I knew that for a fact; I'd seen that pregnant thing naked and let me tell you-

"See, you and Sasuke are already getting along!" Kushina said happily, thrusting me in the little boy's direction. I squeaked as I entered Sasuke's personal space and was rewarded with a sharp tug on my hair. I squealed in pain as tears burned my eyes.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto exclaimed.

I reeled my chubby little arm back and smacked Sasuke across the face. He burst into tears like the little sissy he was.

"Akemi!" Kushina yelped, pulling me away from Sasuke.

"Heh star' uh,"(He started it) I grumbled lightly, shooting a glare in Sasuke's direction.

"I don't care if he started it," Kushina said. "You don't hit people. Look, you made him cry. Apologize."

"No!"

"Apologize."

"NO!"

"I said apologize."

I screamed at the top of my lungs, kicking and flailing. Sasuke was doing something very similar a few feet away.

_Man, he is so annoying! Stop screaming, you idiot! It was just a slap! Grow up!_

"Akemi, will you please stop-"

"Kemi-chan?" a calm voice questioned from behind Kushina.

"Kashi-kun!" I squealed, wiggling myself away from the she-devil and into that beautiful man's arms. "Kashi, kashi, kashi, kashi."

Kushina glared at Kakashi, probably wondering why he was able to control me better than herself.

_Yeah, that's right. Think about how you'll be a horrible mom. That's what you get for taking me away from the sexy god...Oh, Minto..._

"Oh, Kakashi, can you take her for a while? She keeps on crying and screaming. I don't think she likes me very much," Kushina grumbled, rubbing a hand over her belly. "I hope Naruto will like me better."

"Actually, I was just leaving on a mission so-" Kakashi started.

"I could take her," Mikoto offered.

I grunted in protest and started bouncing up and down in Kakashi's arms to try to get his attention, mumbling "Kashi" over and over again.

"Really?" Kushina asked hesitantly, glancing in my direction. "I don't think she likes Sasuke very much."

"Nonsense," Mikoto said, waving away the idea with the hand she wasn't using to hold Sasuke. "She just got a little mad when he pulled her hair. They'll get along fine. Trust me."

I glared at her. I didn't want to go with her. Sasuke was a mean little baby and I didn't want to be around him. I wanted to be around my sexy guys, not some fat little blob of pale baby.

"Thanks a lot, Mikoto," Kushina said, sighing in relief. "It means a lot to me."

_It means nothing to me! Don't make me go with her! Go find Asuma and make him watch me! I'd even rather go with Hiruzen and he smells like cabbage and old moth balls. _

"Do you want me to walk her over with you? You can't carry both of them at once," Kushina said.

"Oh no, that's fine. I've got it. Itachi's with me," Mikoto said. "Itachi, sweetheart, come over here and take Sasuke!"

A boy came out of a nearby shop and my eyes nearly popped out of my skull. He had long black hair tied in a low ponytail and sparkling eyes the color of night. He might have only been around six, but I could tell that he was going to grow up to be extremely sexy. Suddenly, going with Mikoto and Sasuke didn't seem too bad. If this beautiful boy was going to be there, then I would gladly go there. I would follow that boy into the depths of hell if it meant getting to stare at his beautiful face longer.

"SEXY!" I proclaimed, launching myself at said sexy person. I collided with his chest and almost knocked him over in the process. He caught me at the last possible second, blinking down at me in wonder. I snuggled into his chest and sighed happily. "Sexy..."

"...Or you could carry Akemi..." Mikoto mumbled.

"Akemi is a big fan of boys," Kakashi explained, his eye crinkling as he smiled under his mask. "That's probably why she hates Kushina so much."

A dark gloom shifted over Kushina as she slumped.

"Thanks a lot, Kakashi," she grumbled.

"'Welcome."

* * *

LATER THAT NIGHT

* * *

Because of everything that had happened that day, I forgot all about the scary monster and the approaching danger. It was only until I felt the creeping touch of something sinister that I remembered. A thick, heavy substance weighed down the air and it made my limbs feel heavy and sluggish. I squirmed over in the crib, careful not to jostle Sasuke too much. He obviously hadn't felt the weird force yet and was still sleeping silently beside me.

The image of the looming shape of a large animal with nine tails flashed into my head again and I shuddered. Whatever this was, I just knew that it had something to do with that beast. A small sob tumbled from my lips and I shook uncontrollably. I couldn't handle this. It was too much.

After a while Sasuke woke up and started crying too. He rolled over into my side and curled his small fists into my shirt as he shook. I huffed and wrapped an arm around him. I told myself that I was simply doing it to get Sasuke to shut up, but in reality, it was for me too. I was scared out of my mind and even the thought of having a wimpy little infant by my side made me feel better. The two of us stayed that way, sobbing and shaking in each others arms until Itachi lightly padded into the room and scooped Sasuke into his arms. I sobbed louder at the absence of the other baby until Itachi finally broke down and picked me up too.

He went out and sat in the doorway, staring out into the night with the two of us in his arms. We'd both quieted down some once Itachi was here. He made me feel safer through all the panic with his calm nature. When I looked up at him, I didn't see a six-year old boy. I saw a man, sitting proudly in a stone chair in front of a wall with the Uchiha symbol carved boldly into it. He was strong and sturdy. No one could shake this man. He was unbreakable. A true hero. I felt it in my bones.

The air grew heavier and heavier by the second and I squirmed more and more in Itachi's arms. I couldn't get the image of the giant orange beast out of my mind. It hung just on the edge of the village, shaking the earth and knocking trees over wherever it went. It stirred up dust and crushed everything in sight with its very presence. I whimpered pathetically and curled tighter into Itachi and Sasuke.

The feeling was just too much. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, I couldn't-

Suddenly, a new image cut into my mind. This time it was the picture of a boy with bright yellow hair. He looked like a young version of Minato with shorter hair. He was standing before an army and when I looked closer I saw that his eyes were a dark red, the color of a demon. But I knew this boy would never hurt me, no matter what. Just like Itachi, I knew that he was strong and unwavering. A hero unparalleled by anyone else.

And with that, I felt content knowing that this blonde boy and Itachi were here to protect me, no matter what was to come. Even if I felt the sinking feeling that I was losing something big in my life I couldn't help but find a silver lining within it all. Itachi and Sasuke and this blonde boy...for some reason, they felt like home. They reminded me of Minato and Daddy and even Kakashi, and I didn't want them to leave. They were a part of my life, and even with the new void that was opening up against my knowledge, I knew that everything was going to be fine.

That is, until Minato and Kushina came back, and Daddy and I left the village for good. It would be a long time before I saw any of my special people again. A very, very long time.

* * *

**This chapter was sort of a filler, but its entire purpose was to get Akemi away from Minato and Kushina when the Kyuubi attacked. They wouldn't take a baby to the birth of another if it was so secretive and high-risked, so I put her with the Uchihas. It was just a split second decision, but we'll see where it goes. **

**The next chapter is probably going to be the start of the Cannon, unless anyone wants me to write a chapter explaining what happens while Akemi is off with Jiraiya. I'm thinking about just making the next chapter when they get sorted into teams, but again, I'm not sure. I basically know what I'm going to do for the entire story, except for a few parts in Shippuden, so updates shouldn't be too spaced out. **

**Anyways, thank you for reading and please review/favorite/follow. I might update sooner if I get enough. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed. It means a lot to me. **

**I would like to reply to my one Guest reviewer here too. They asked me not to have anything sealed in her or give her the curse mark. I can assure you that I will not make that happen. What is happening with her that needs to be sealed and what not will be further detailed through the Pre-Shippuden chapters, so you don't have to worry about not understanding what is going on. Just be patient and I swear I will explain it later. **

**Anyways, please enjoy Chapter 4 and continue to review and what not. I will love you forever if you do. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. **

**Warning: There will be some cussing in this chapter along with the rest of the story. Akemi's vocabulary is very...colorful. There might also be some slight Sasuke or Ino bashing in this chapter, but I just want you to know that I like both of them and it will eventually go away. What's a self-insert story without a little Sasuke and fangirl-bashing? **

* * *

I strode through the doors of the brothel, pushing and shoving at the girls who kept brushing and gyrating excitedly against me. They swooned and cooed, offering me guaranteed 'best nights of my life' and trying to usher me into unvacated rooms. When one decided that touching my underdevloped-it was getting there, okay?-chest, I lost it.

"I'm just here to get my dad," I growled through gritted teeth and pushed another whore away.

"In that case, how about you take advantage of our two for one family discount," a busty brunette offered me, pressing her chest closer to my face, which was perfectly at chest-height for her. So I was kind-of short, sue me.

My lip curled in disgust. _Two for one family discount? _What had the world come to?

"No, I'm fine," I said. My eye twitched a little. I think all the heavy perfume and low lighting was getting to me.

"Really, it'll just take a second," the girl purred. "I can have you on cloud nine in no time-"

My fist connected with her face and she collided with the wall behind her. I cracked my neck to the side and sighed, before saying, "Now, unless the rest of you whores want that to happen to you too, I suggest you stop flirting and point me in the direction of the tall, white-haired grandpa-looking pervert."

All their hands shot up and pointed at a red door at the end of the hallway.

"It's good to see some of you actually have brains," I said sweetly, a fake smile curving the edges of my mouth. I strode over to the door and banged on it briefly with my open palm before throwing the door open. It hit the wall with a bang and the sound brought everyone in the room out of their daze.

"Hey!" Dad whined. "It was just getting to the good part!"

My eye started to twitch and his widened.

"No, no, no, no, no! Not the twitching eye! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry!" he said, propelling himself off the futon and onto his stumbling feet. "I'm coming, just make the twitching stop!"

The two girls who'd been fawning over him on the futon started huffing in protest.

"No come back," one of them cooed.

My eye twitched. Dad flailed in despair, caught between two things he wanted-not getting punched in the face and getting to stay with the whores.

"Five," I started. He flailed some more.

"No!" he cried. "Don't start counting down! Don't start-"

"Four."

"Eep!" he squealed, before turning to the girls.

"Three." I cracked my knuckles.

"I have to go, girls," he said, zipping toward the door.

"Two," I said, just to watch him squirm.

"Wait!" the other girl called. "You didn't pay us."

Dad froze, and his eyes shot toward me just before my hand sunk into his face. He collided with the wall and slid down just as I said, "One." I tossed a wad of money at the girls and they quieted down. All they cared about was getting paid. Whores.

I grabbed Dad's hand and started dragging him out of the door. He was just as heavy as he looked. Fat ass.

"Great, now I'm going to be late," I grumbled as the doors of Konoha became visible on the horizon. I quickened my pace and Dad slumped even further behind me, grumbling something about how I was going too fast.

"You're not going to be late. You still have twenty minutes to get there," he said.

"Yeah, until school starts. We still have to tell the Hokage we're here, have him change the team assignments so I'm on one, and then make sure you don't slip into a sake-induced coma."

"Hey," he grumbled, "Don't be so mean to Daddy. He tries his best."

"I can be as mean to you as I like! I'm going to be late for my first and only day of the Academy because of you! Who else could I possibly blame?" I yelled, exasperated.

He was quiet for a moment before he quietly said, "You could blame the girls at the brothel. It's not Daddy's fault that they're pretty and wanted Daddy to go with them on a journey to-"

"LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!" I yelled, covering my ears before I could hear where he was taking that sentence. "I don't want to know, you damn pervert!"

I smacked him upside the head. He grumbled under his breath again.

When we got to the gates, I stomped through. The guards called after me, asking for identification, but I just kept on going. Dad could handle it. I needed to get everything done so I actually got put onto a team today.

I started making my way to the Hokage's building when two people zipped past me, both of their shoulders hitting either of mine and knocking me over. I landed on my backside as they were running away, one of them screaming, "I'm going to make it to the Academy first, forehead, and Sasuke-kun is going to be mine!"

"In your dreams, Ino-Pig. He's mine!" the other one screamed back.

"Bitches," I growled under my breath as I brushed myself off. There was no point in screaming. They seemed to be too involved by what they were doing to even notice if I did. When I stood up, yet another person nearly knocked me over. "Okay, can you idiots watch where you're fucking going? It's not that hard!"

I looked up to see that the person who ran into me was a man. He was probably thirty-something with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. I'd seen this man before. I just knew it. But where? He gave me an odd look for a second before his eyes widened.

"A-Akemi?" he stuttered.

"How the hell do you know my name?" I growled venomously. I took a step back though, cautious. Dad said I was supposed to be hidden. Only a few people knew I existed, so how did this man know who I was? There were only two options: he was one of those few people who Dad intrusted with the information or he was one of the people who wanted me dead. Both were possible. Dad had many enemies. If they wanted him dead, then they wanted me dead too.

"I'm Inoichi, Inoichi Yamanaka," he said. "I'm the one who figured out that your mind was..." He trailed off, giving me a curious look. I relaxed a bit. I'd heard his name before and remembered his face distantly. He was probably the person he said he was.

"I know what's wrong with me," I said. My eyes glanced either way to see if anyone was listening. If anyone knew that I had something wrong with me, they might exploit it to get to Dad. I had to be careful what I said. "Dad told me."

"I didn't know you were coming back," he said.

"Me neither," I said. "I found out last week."

"So, your training finally ended?" he asked, smiling. His tone sounded light, but I knew by the tenseness of his shoulder that he was concerned. I understood. Me being around other living things was always a risk. He had a right to be worried.

"Yeah," I said. "So you can relax. I'm not going to explode and kill everyone."

"I wasn't suggesting that-"

"I wouldn't blame you if you were. It's fine. I understand."

He shuffled uneasily and I noticed that he held a Konoha headband in his hand. His was wrapped around his forehead, so it wasn't his. If I wasn't so intrusive and brash, I wouldn't have acted from curiosity.

"Whose is that?" I asked, gesturing to the headband.

"Oh," he said, as if he was just realizing that he had it. "It's my daughter Ino's. She accidentally forgot to take it. I was going to go give it to her. The Academy is sorting them into teams today so..." He cocked his head to the side. "Is that why you came back? To get sorted into a Genin team?"

"I'm supposed to, but Dad is-"

"HEY! LET ME GO! I'M THE TOAD SAGE! I'M FAMOUS! HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM? DO YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK?" a voice screamed. I wonder who that could be...

"Well...yeah," I said, sighing. "The Hokage doesn't know I'm here yet either, so I'm probably not going to end up on a team."

"Oh," he said again. Then, he smiled. "Hey, I'll tell you what. You can go to the Academy now and give this to Ino and I'll go talk to the Hokage."

He handed me the headband. I wrapped my fingers around it tentatively and said, "Okay...Thanks."

"No problem," he said. He reached over and ruffled my hair and I froze. He touched me, actually touched me. I wasn't used to that. It was one thing for him to be standing near me, but it was another to actually touch me. He knew that I was dangerous to be around, and yet he still dared to touch me. As he walked off, I stared at his back. He seemed like a good man.

When I walked into the Academy classroom, I blinked. And stared. Then I blinked some more. What I was seeing was just a little too much to process at the moment. That was all.

First of all, there were a collection of girls fighting and bickering, screaming something about sauce that was apparently gay. I for one didn't care about which team spaghetti sauce decided to swing for, but if these girls were going to do this a lot, I wasn't sure I could handle living in Konoha with them. The second thing I saw was two boys kissing. Again, like I said before, I didn't care which way someone swung-I fully believe that Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were meant to be together-but it was a bit disturbing to walk into a room and see anyone kissing, homo- or heterosexual.

The two boys rocketed away from each other and the girls erupted in outrage, glaring holes at a boy with blonde hair. He looked strangely familiar, like I'd seen him before. I brushed that thought off and made my way to an open seat. With all the girls squabbling and flailing, most of the classroom was either occupied by bitching little girls or people who didn't seem to give a fuck. Surprisingly, most of the people who seemed unfazed by the girls who were...well, I wasn't really sure what they were doing now, but that wasn't the point. The people who weren't fazed with _that _were basically all sitting together so the only remaining seat not being occupied by calm, normal people or had screeching, obnoxious girls strewn across them was at the front, in-between the two gay guys who now seemed like they were angry with each other. They must have had a lovers spat while I was occupied with watching one bitchy girl punch another one. It was quite entertaining.

I slid into the seat between the two boys who had kissed and slumped into my chair. After everything that had happened, I was tired. I really hoped that Dad wouldn't be taken to jail and that Inoichi would actually go talk to the Hokage.

What if the Hokage was in a meeting and Inoichi couldn't talk to him in time? Would I just not get a team? Would I have to wait another year to get assigned one? Even if Inoichi did get there, would I get put on a team? What if they couldn't find a sensei able to do something if something accidentally happened, if the seal accidentally broke?

I touched my stomach lightly and gulped. It'd taken thirteen years for me to finally be able to sort-of control what was happening to me. What were the chances that there was an available sensei this year that could actually be able to control it too? They were slim to none, and leaning closer to the 'none' side of the scale. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all. Maybe I should have just stayed with Dad and trained outside of the village until I could fully control what was happening to me.

"Hey!" a collective jumble of voice screeched, pulling me out of my worry-induced daze. I lifted my head off the table a fraction and blinked up at the crowd of girls who were glaring kunais at me.

"What?" I asked.

"How dare you sit by Sauske-kun! He's mine!" They all yelled in unison.

"That is so creepy..." I whispered under my breath, before raising my voice. "Look, bitches, I don't give a fuck about your Gay Sauce. I'm just trying to take a nap, so if you could shut the fuck up and tone down your bitchiness for five minutes, I'd be very grateful. Thanks."

I smiled sweetly at them before letting my head fall back on the table with a thump.

"Hey, I'm not done with you!" someone screamed.

I groaned and looked up again, growling "What?"

The girl had long blonde hair and bangs that covered one of her eyes. It took me a moment to realize she was one of the girls that knocked me over this morning. I hated her even more now.

"Get up. I'm sitting there," she said with her hands on her hips. "Sasuke and I are soul mates. He doesn't want someone like _you _sitting by him."

"We'll then he's just gonna have to put on his big boy pants and suck it up, because I'm not moving," I said.

"Yes you are-"

"Are you Ino?" I asked out of the blue. She blinked and then resumed her bitchy-pose.

"What's it to you?" she asked, giving me a once over. She was probably sizing me up, seeing if she could take me if she ever needed to.

I held up the headband Inoichi had gave me, dangling it in her face. She gasped and ripped it out of my hands.

"How'd you get this?"

I rolled my eyes.

"You forgot it this morning. Your father asked me to give it to you," I said.

"Oh," she said lightly. Being taken down a peg in front of her peers probably wasn't her idea of fun. "This doesn't change the fact that you're sitting by _my _Sasuke-kun." A few girls in the background yelled about how Sasuke was theirs, not hers, but Ino didn't seem to notice or care. "Move."

"Okay," I said, and lifted my hand a bit. "There. I moved. Happy?"

She growled.

"Don't get-"

The door to the classroom opened and a tan man with a spiky ponytail walked in. He was kind-of cute, in an innocence twenty-something year-old way. He blinked when he noticed we were all staring at him.

"What?" he asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"Just a scar," I said. He blinked at me. "What? Too soon?"

"You must be Akemi," he said. "The Hokage told me your personality is very...strong."

I scowled, but then smiled a bit smugly. If he knew who I was then Inoichi must have gotten to the Hokage in time and because what the teacher said was kind of true...

"The worst part is that he hasn't even seen me since I was like four months old, and yet I'm still the same..." I said.

He smiled wistfully, as if he was thinking back to the days when he was little. Finally, he took out a stack of papers and said, "Okay, everyone. Take your seats. It's time for us to assign teams."

Everyone shuffled to their seats, albeit very, very slowly. They were kind of like Dad, slinking around and grumbling under their breath about how it was 'unfair'. I wasn't really sure what they thought was unfair, maybe the fact that I was sitting next to 'their' Sasuke-kun, but either way I couldn't care less.

The teacher, who I learnt was Iruka started giving us a speech of how this was just the beginning of our journey as ninjas and what not, but I wasn't really listening. I was too busy catching up on the hours of sleep that I had lost while taking care of Dad. I swear that man was like a five year old. I was more of a parent to him than he was to me. It was kind of sad. I started listening again when he started calling the teams.

"Team 3," Iruka read. "Sado Ichimaru, Kurama Dasuke, and Haruno Sakura."

Something shifted inside of me, like my entire stomach was dropping a foot. I didn't know why, but a part of me was almost scared. It was the same feeling I felt all the time. I remembered feeling this when I was first born, when I tried warning Kushina about the monster, when I accidentally overheard Dad talking with one of his spies about a peace group called the Akatsuki. It was like the entire universe was shifting, changing, and it was all centered around me. I didn't like that feeling.

"Team 7," Iruka said a while later. "Uzumaki Naruto, Akemi, and Uchiha Sasuke."

My stomach dropped even further, only this time I was pretty sure I knew why. Kushina's last name had been Uzumaki and her and Minato were going to name their unborn child Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto had to be their kid, he just had to be. And then there was Uchiha Sasuke. He was the same kid who I'd spent the Kyuubi attack with, the same kid who'd pulled my hair, the same kid who'd kicked me while I was sleeping in his crib. The same kid who I declared as my mortal enemy when I wasn't even four months old yet.

"HELL NO."

Iruka stopped, then blinked, then looked directly at me.

"Excuse me?" he asked. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I refuse to be on the same team as that...as that bastard!" I declared. Iruka blinked again and said, "Excuse me?"

The blonde kid beside me slumped and grumbled under his breath something that sounded like, "Nobody ever likes me..."

My head shot sideways. Blonde hair. Uzumaki crest. I was willing to bet his eyes were blue. This was Uzumaki Naruto. He had been sitting next to me this entire time. I nearly squealed in excitement.

"No," I said, panicked. I didn't want him to think that I hated him. We were supposed to be friends. My dad was his godfather and his was mine. We were basically destined to be best friends. Sasuke on the other hand... "I didn't mean you." The fangirls had said that I'd sat by their Sasuke-kun, so that automatically meant that he was sitting on the other side of me. "I meant that thing." I pointed behind me, in the direction of said Uchiha.

I turned to the Uchiha and glared. He stared back at me blankly.

"Do you remember when we were babies and you pulled my hair?" I asked.

He glared back all the same, but managed a small, "Hn."

"Oh, God, you still do that 'Hn' thing," I said, my lip curling in disgust. "It's even worse now."

"Er...Okay," Iruka said from the front of the classroom. "Let's continue with-"

I cupped my hand around my ear and feigned a look of curiosity.

"Did you hear that, Gay Sauce? I think it was the corner calling, it wants it's emo back."

"How clever," he said, rolling his inky orbs.

I glared at him again and he glared right back. Neither of us even noticed when Iruka gave up and started reading off the team assignments again. We only stopped our glaring war when we were released for lunch and we parted ways.

That was the start of Sasuke and I's epic rivalry.

* * *

**Thank you for reading and please review/favorite/follow. **

**See you next week.**

**-SuiGaa**


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